1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hybrid connector including an electrical connector and an optical connector assembled to the electrical connector, which has the functions of the electrical connector and the optical connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a vehicle such as an automobile, there are many signals transmitted from various sensors and many signals used to control various electronic components. If these signals are transmitted by using individual signal lines, the number of the signal lines becomes large, resulting in the wiring harness weighing very heavy. In addition, the information transmitted has had large volumes and densities year by year.
To cope with this, in recent years, there has been adopted a system in which part of the wiring harnesses are replaced by optical fiber cables. For example, a connection has been made between nodes by an optical fiber cable.
If the wiring harnesses are partly replaced by optical fiber cables, however, it becomes troublesome to make connections, for example at a carmaker, between related electrical connectors and optical connectors.
Consequently, to complete connection of an electrical connector and an optical connector at one connecting operation, it has been desired to put to use a hybrid connector which combines in one the electrical connector and the optical connector.
If, however, a hybrid connector is constituted by juxtaposing an electrical connector and an optical connector side by side, the resultant hybrid connector becomes upsized in the direction in which the electrical and optical connectors are juxtaposed, possibly affecting the space and circuit construction on a printed circuit board on which to implement the hybrid connector.
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawback and an object of this invention is to provide a hybrid connector which is compact in size.
In order to attain the object, according to an aspect of this invention, there is provided a hybrid connector having an electrical connector and an optical connector assembled to the electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising: an electrical housing having an open end through which to fit to a mating hybrid connector and a wall at an end thereof opposite the open end, the wall having a terminal mount section and an optical connector mount section juxtaposed to each other in a direction perpendicular to a connector fitting direction of the hybrid connector and the mating hybrid connector, and terminals bent L-shaped which are inserted at one end through the terminal mount section into the electrical housing to have bends thereof located outside the terminal mount section, and the optical connector comprising: an optical housing with an optical element module receiving section; a light emitting element module having a light emitting element; and a light receiving element module having a light receiving element, the light emitting element module and the light receiving element module being accommodated in the optical element module receiving section of the optical housing, wherein when the optical connector is assembled through the optical connector mount section to the electrical connector, the optical housing overlies at the optical element module receiving section at least one of the bends of the terminals, with a spacing therebetween.
In the hybrid connector of the above construction, if the optical connector is assembled to the electrical connector, the optical housing at its optical element module receiving section overhangs or overlies the bends of the terminals with a spacing therebetween. Consequently, the size of the hybrid connector in a width direction thereof, i.e., in the direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction becomes small by the length by which the optical housing overhangs the terminals.
Further, the optical housing that overhangs serves to protect the terminals.
The term xe2x80x9chybrid connectorxe2x80x9d used herein is intended to mean a connector with an electrical connector and an optical connector combined in one.
Preferably, the light emitting element is located offcenter in the light emitting element module toward the light receiving element module, and the light receiving element is located off-center in the light receiving element module toward the light emitting element module.
In the above hybrid connector, because the light emitting element and the light receiving element are off-centered toward each other, optical fiber cables leading to the mating optical connector can also be located close to each other, resulting in the mating optical connector and thus the optical connector made compact in size in the width direction.
Advantageously, the optical housing has at the optical element module receiving section a terminal protector extending in the direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction to overlie the bends of the terminals.
The terminal protector serves to protect the terminals.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a hybrid connector having an electrical connector and a transmitting and receiving optical connectors assembled to the electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising: an electrical housing having an open end through which to fit to a mating hybrid connector and a wall at an end thereof opposite the open end, the wall having two optical connector mount sections and a terminal mount section between the optical connector mount sections, juxtaposed in a direction perpendicular to a connector fitting direction of the hybrid connector and the mating hybrid connector, and terminals bent L-shaped which are inserted at one end through the terminal mount section into the electrical housing to have bends thereof located outside the terminal mount section, and the transmitting optical connector comprising: a transmitting optical housing with a light emitting element module receiving section; and a light emitting element module having a light emitting element, which is accommodated in the light emitting element module receiving section of the transmitting optical housing, and the receiving optical connector comprising: a receiving optical housing with a light receiving element module receiving section; and a light receiving element module having a light receiving element, which is accommodated in the light receiving element module receiving section of the receiving optical housing, wherein when the transmitting and receiving optical connectors are assembled through the respective optical connector mount sections to the electrical connector, the transmitting and receiving optical housings overlie at the light emitting element module and light receiving element module receiving sections the bends of the terminals, with a spacing therebetween.
In the hybrid connector of the above construction, the size of the hybrid connector in a width direction thereof, i.e., in the direction perpendicular to the connector fitting direction becomes small by the length by which the transmitting and receiving optical housings overhang the terminals. Further, the terminals are better protected.
Preferably, the emitting element is located off-center in the light emitting element module toward away from the terminals, and the light receiving element is located off-center in the light receiving element module toward away from the terminals.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.